William Bumpus once again shared an apology to his ex-wife, Gayle King, after she exposed how she caught him cheating on her with a friend.

Gayle King’s ex-husband apologizes after she exposes his cheating past

William Bumpus once again shared an apology to his ex-wife, Gayle King, after she exposed how she caught him cheating on her with a friend.

By Leigh Blickley

May 28, 2026 10:45 a.m. ET

Gayle King; William Bumpus. Credit:

Cindy Ord/Getty; William Bumpus/Instagram

- Gayle King's ex-husband, William Bumpus, apologized after she exposed his cheating past.

- Bumpus shared his "deepest apologies" to his family and respected King's right to share her story.

- He said he is "grateful" to her for her support over the years.

When in doubt, just apologize — at least, that's Gayle King's ex-husband's current motto.

William Bumpus, who was married to the *CBS Mornings* host from 1982 to 1993, apologized to King after she exposed his cheating past on the *Call Her Daddy* podcast on Wednesday. King recalled how she caught Bumpus getting intimate with a friend of hers in 1990, while their two young kids were home with the nanny.

"I came home and caught him," King told host Alex Cooper, sharing the story of how she discovered a close friend in her bedroom wearing her bath towel after a work trip was canceled.

After the interview made the rounds on Wednesday, Bumpus released a statement to TMZ, apologizing to his ex-wife and their kids for the pain he caused them.

"My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband, Virgil, to our son William and his wife, Elise, and to our three grandchildren, for the pain I caused decades ago," Bumpus' lengthy note began. "Those actions were mine."

Bumpus went on to say King "has every right to share what was a painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly forty years ago."

He added, "I respect her right to tell her story, and that’s where I’ll leave it."

Bumpus went on to thank King for giving him "two of the greatest gifts of life" — Kirby, now 40, and William, now 39, who were only 2 and 3 when the cheating scandal happened, according to King's recollection.

"And it was Gayle who chose, with me, to co-parent successfully from the very beginning — a testament to our shared commitment to our children above all else, and now our grandchildren," Bumpus went on. "The love and camaraderie we forged in that work carried us all these years."

Gayle King (C) with her children, Kirby Bumpus (L) and William Bumpus Jr.

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

The attorney, who expressed how grateful he was that King supported his studies at Yale Law, said the exes "remain in a good place" all these years later. He even noted how King recently "sent warm wishes" to his daughter Poet on her 16th birthday — a gesture he said "meant a great deal.”

Bumpus continued to praise King and said he was a "genuine admirer and fan" of hers, and was lucky enough to have "a front-row seat to Gayle's remarkable success."

As "a private person by nature," he "wrestled" with King's "public life" while they were married, but Bumpus added that he's come to realize it was "no reflection on her true talent and abilities."

"I continue to work at being the best version of myself, grounded by the friendship, encouragement, and support of Gayle over the years, by the love of our grown children and our grandchildren, and by the daily privilege of raising Poet as a single dad,” he concluded.

** has reached out to King for her reaction to Bumpus' apology.

This is not the first time Bumpus has apologized for his actions. After King discussed his cheating ways in an interview with *Vanity Fair* in 2016, he released a statement sharing his regrets.

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"I have been haunted with this life altering choice," the statement read. "Though I have dealt with this privately, I publicly apologize for the major transgression that dramatically changed all of our lives. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Gayle and how she handled herself with grace. Despite the situation, she kept our children, as well as my relationship and involvement with them, as a clear priority."

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He added, "Gayle was a great wife, an excellent mother and a fantastic co-parent. I am eternally grateful for all that she has done and continues to do to enrich my life and the lives of our incredible adult children. I continue to be a work in progress and have spent the last 26 years striving to be a better man and father. I applaud Gayle's continued phenomenal success and friendship!"

Of her ex-husband, King told Cooper they now see each other at family events.

"I am in such a good place that at the weddings and christenings, I'm like, 'Can I get you anything?' Him and [his] girlfriend. She seems very nice and lovely," King shared. "'Can I get you guys anything? I'm so glad you came.'"

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